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caroleditosti · 9 months

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'Here Lies Love,' The Stunning Bio-Pop-Musical Sounds Alarms About the Price of Democracy

Here Lies Love at the Broadway Theatre The Millennium Club is the phenomenal, multi-level, theatrical setting of the bio-pop musical Here Lies Love. The resulting panorama is a monolith of disco and pop music, many-hued neon lights, black and white historical film clips, multiple dazzling screen projections, and spot-on performers’ heightened song and dance moves “here, there, everywhere” in…

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#Alex Timbers #Annie-B Parson #Arielle Jacobs #Conrad Ricamora #David Byrne #Fatboy Slim #Jose Llana #Lea Salonga #Tom Gandey & Jose Luis Pardo

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nikyk · 1 year

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The wide shot is the camera position that allows the audience to see the full body of everyone in the scene in their environment, it’s the most objective and potentially the most compositional of camera positions, and for very brief moments I can perceive our wide shot: that we experience contentment, then we suffer, we slog through what we deem uninteresting, we get inspired, we see things, we miss things, we trip or fall or slowly crumble, we get up, we fight, we reconnect, and then in despair or fascination or just reflexively, we write about it.

And this desire to articulate what you feel and perceive, to tell it, to name it, to describe it, this is as natural as the progression from walking to running to leaping, to shaping that leap into a pattern of leaps, and then a group of leapers in unison — into a dance.

And if I go into the extreme wide shot, I can see a generative duality between us and the world, a reciprocity between us perceiving the world together through art, and the world in turn reading us through what we make. In this mirror structure, I can imagine the creative act as world-actualization rather than self-actualization, that what we make becomes a part of nature’s generative system.

- "The Choreography of Everyday Life" by Annie-B Parson

via The Marginalian by Maria Popova

#maria popova #the marginalian #Annie-B Parson #the choreography of everyday life

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popculturebrain · 1 year

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David Byrne & Fatboy Slim Disco Musical ‘Here Lies Love’ Heading To Broadway

Here Lies Love, the acclaimed “immersive disco musical” about Imelda Marcos from David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, will premiere on Broadway this summer, with Alex Timbers directing and Annie-B Parson choreographing.

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Brain Daily newsletter for more stories like this!

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om · 1 year

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Social media forms are performative solo forms with an odd conflation of friendship and marketing; the body is alone in a room performing the self, with an undercurrent of desire for applause. Without a town square to gather in and hash out the day with neighbors, social media communications have a shading of loneliness underneath.

Annie-B Parson, The Choreography of Everyday Life

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randomvarious · 2 years

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Today’s compilation:

50 anni di musica internazionale 2001 Soft Rock / New Wave / Soul / Pop / Pop-Rock / R&B / Disco / Folk-Rock / Hard Rock / Blues-Rock / Synthpop / Funk / Dance-Pop / Rock & Roll / Latin Rock

Been listening to this immense six-disc, five-decade retrospective on the history of popular music from 1950 through 2000 over the past week and change that was put out by weekly Italian entertainment magazine TV Sorrisi e Canzoni back in '01. And let me tell you, it's really good.

I mean, It's definitely not perfect (there are admittedly some real headscratchers here, like the awful, not-sure-if-this-was-actually-made-as-a-joke, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies), but it's a very eclectic set of songs, and what sets it apart from other *definitive box sets* of its ilk is that, while any fair-weather music fan will recognize just about every name on here, a lot of times the compiler(s) of this release actually chose to stray away from the most popular song by a bunch of these acts.

For example, they've got Joe Jackson on here, so you'd probably be expecting "Steppin' Out," right? But that's not the song they went with. They chose his much less known, but also great, "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" instead. Cyndi Lauper? No, not "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" or "Time After Time;" "True Colors." Stevie Wonder? Not any of his super famous hits, but rather "A Place in the Sun." Toto? No, not "Africa;" "Rosanna." Late 90s Cher? Not "Believe;" "Strong Enough." Tears for Fears? Not "Shout," not "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," not even "Mad World" or "Head Over Heels;" "Woman in Chains." Duran Duran? Not "Hungry Like the Wolf," not "Notorious," and not "Ordinary World." It's their 2000 Oasis-sounding track, "Someone Else Not Me." Gloria Gaynor? Not "I Will Survive;" the superior-in-every-way, "Never Can Say Goodbye." The Spin Doctors? Not "Two Princes" or "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong;" it's their mediocre cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"

Now, did that strategy of going with a lesser known hit always work? Certainly not. Sometimes the alternative choice just isn't a very good song. But did that strategy make for something of a unique listening experience overall? Absolutely. And with so many of these box sets that have floated around over the years, all claiming to represent the best that a large chunk of time had to offer, this is one of the better ones, simply because, in a lot of instances, they didn't go with the most obvious choices.

So, if you want a nice, varied mix of enormous career-defining hits and some unexpected, but sweet curveballs, then this is a set that's definitely worth checking out.

Highlights:

CD1:

Bob Dylan - "Subterranean Homesick Blues" The Clash - "Should I Stay or Should I Go" Eurythmics - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" Michael Bolton - "Soul Provider" Eric Carmen - "All by Myself" Aretha Franklin - "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman" Men at Work - "Who Can It Be Now?" Christopher Cross - "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" Joe Jackson - "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" Santana - "Samba pa ti"

CD2:

Billy Joel - "Just the Way You Are" Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson" Marvin Gaye - "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Stevie Wonder - "A Place in the Sun" Janis Joplin - "Me and Bobby McGee" Otis Redding - "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" Paul Anka - "Diana" Harry Belafonte - "Banana Boat (Day-O)" Dionne Warwick - "Heartbreaker" B.B. King - "The Thrill Is Gone"

CD3:

Barry White - "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" Rod Stewart - "Maggie May" Toto - "Rosanna" Donna Summer - "Love to Love You Baby" Natalie Imbruglia - "Torn" Cher - "Strong Enough" Percy Sledge - "When a Man Loves a Woman" The Alan Parsons Project - "Eye in the Sky"

CD4:

Tears for Fears - "Woman in Chains" Duran Duran - "Someone Else Not Me" Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Ain't Nobody" Roy Orbison - "Oh, Pretty Woman" Leonard Cohen - "Suzanne" Enya - "Orinoco Flow"

CD5:

Gloria Gaynor - "Never Can Say Goodbye" INXS - "Need You Tonight" Grace Jones - "Slave to the Rhythm" Peter Tosh - "Legalize It" Ben E. King - "Stand by Me" Van Morrison - "Brown Eyed Girl" Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5 - "I Want You Back" Fine Young Cannibals - "She Drives Me Crazy" Earth, Wind & Fire - "September"

CD6:

David Bowie - "Space Oddity" James Brown - "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" Wilson Pickett - "Mustang Sally" Jefferson Airplane - "Somebody to Love" Sam & Dave - "Hold on I'm Comin'" Jerry Lee Lewis - "Great Balls of Fire" Solomon Burke - "Everybody Needs Somebody (to Love)"

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tbthqs · 3 months

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mwfcs?

Mulheres: Angelina Jolie, AJ Cook, Lyndsy Fonseca, Gemma Chan, Aisha Dee, Annie Murphy, Nikki Reed, Aja Naomi King, Alexandra Daddario, Dianna Agron, Lalisa Manoban, Victoria Pedretti, Summer Bishil, Meghann Fahy, Gabrielle Union, Candice King, Hillarie Burton Morgan, Demet Ozdemir, Lindsey Morgan, Piper Perabo, Kristin Bell, Candice Patton, Karla Souza, Christian Serratos, Adria Arjona, Spencer Locke, Nathalie Kelley, Cobie Smulders, Tessa Thompson, Olivia Wilde, Melissa Roxburgh, Brittany Snow, Emily Brown, Maya Mitchell, Olivia Munn, Jamie Chung, Lucy Liu, Bethany Joy Lenz.

Homens: Charlie Hunnam, Chris Evans, Kit Connor, Charles Michael Davis, Dev Patel, Beau Mirchoff, Danial Sharman, Avan Jogia, Henry Golding, Diego Luna, Charlie Weber, William Harper, Michael B. Jordan, Dacre Montgomery, Casey Deidrick, Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Posey, Oliver Stark, Adam Rodriguez, Daniel Henney, Patrick Flueger, Lucien Laviscount, Jeremy Allen White, Chris Hemswort, Peter Gadiot, Josh Dallas, Amadeus Serafini, George Mackay, Taron Egerton, Alfred Enoch, Nathan Parsons, Dwayne Johnson, John Krasinski, Richard Harmon, Liam Hemsworth, John David Washington, Joe Keery, Jesse Williams.

NB: Asia Kate Dillon, Emma Darcy, Bella Ramsey, Jesse Mei Li

#tbthqs.mwfc #tbthqs.mwf #tbthqs.mwm #tbthqs.mwnb #respondido #mod chronos

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micro961 · 7 months

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Aria - Smile

In radio il nuovo singolo dopo l’anteprima del video su global talent world

Il nuovo singolo del produttore e compositore Mariano Schiavolini è una canzone di fratellanza universale. Assieme Edizioni è orgogliosa di annunciare l'uscita del nuovo singolo di Aria, "Smile". Un brano molto vivace e caratterizzato da un ritmo latino con movimenti ritmici influenzati dalla rumba e dal cha-cha, dalla batteria e dalle percussioni di noti percussionisti sud e centro americani, che suonano secondo i loro stili tradizionali. Nonostante questo il tutto sembra essere influenzato dal rock internazionale.

"Smile" - come si può vedere nel video ufficiale - è un'espressione di gioia, trasmessa attraverso i sorrisi di persone di ogni provenienza, che interpretano la danza con gesti spontanei e unici. È una canzone di fratellanza universale il cui testo è stato scritto dalla grande autrice di Cambridge (EN), Nicolette Turner, già parte dei Celeste lo storico gruppo di Aria, formazione prog sinfonica che ha anticipato la musica New-Age, diffusa in California negli anni '70.

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Le influenze ritmiche funky jazz e R&B sono presenti nella canzone, in particolare grazie alle due bande di ottoni, argentina e brasiliana, che sono anche sostenute da un basso in stile rock/jazz, suonato dall'americano Joseph Patrick, bassista di Steward Copeland (Police).

La vocalist è Ariel Jones, una cantante dell'isola di Madeira, che ha interpretato la canzone anche in portoghese, dopo aver contribuito al testo nella sua lingua madre. In termini di arrangiamento "Smile" è molto complessa, comprendendo ben 120 tracce. Nei suoi ricami si può sentire il dialogo tra le note del pianoforte guida, suonato dallo stesso Aria, la linea melodica della cantante e il groove trainante delle già citate sezioni di ottoni (in off-beat), a cui si aggiungono nell'outro trombe e fisarmonica. Aria utilizza anche sintetizzatori analogici all'interno dell'arrangiamento, come l'ARP Odyssey e il Minimoog, che rendono il brano più coinvolgente, con un leggero accenno alla psichedelia.

Aria è il nome d'arte di Mariano Schiavolini. Il concept e lo pseudonimo del nome sono nati come omaggio agli elementi della natura che ci ispirano a vivere e creare in armonia con ciò che ci circonda. Una volta che si perde il contatto con la natura non si è più sé stessi. Alle origini noto come compositore del gruppo prog-rock sinfonico Celeste di cui ha curato gli arrangiamenti insieme ai suoi compagni (1972), suonando tastiere e chitarre in modo innovativo, con arpeggi ritmici che sostituivano in gran parte la batteria. Utilizzarono anche percussioni orchestrali, tra cui la Moorhead. Celeste è stato considerato uno dei precursori della musica new-age internazionale: Aria è stato un pioniere nell'uso del leggendario Mellotron, strumento principe in molte delle sue composizioni, oltre ad essere uno di quei rari artisti polistrumentisti che producono la propria musica e incorporano i migliori musicisti offerti dal mercato internazionale. I primi di questo genere sono stati Mike Oldfield, Alan Parson e, ultimamente, i Rudimental.

Nel 2017, con il supporto del video e nell'ambito del progetto Musica for Africa, è stato pubblicato il brano "Where Will It End", dedicato alle vittime del massacro di giovani studenti a Garissa, avvenuto il 2 aprile 2015 in Kenya e interpretato da diversi artisti, tra cui il grande coro della Wits University (Johannesburg). Il brano è stato cantato sia in inglese (testo di Nikki Turner) che in zulu e ha visto la partecipazione di due artisti reggae africani: Thuthukani Cele, famoso per Lucky Dube, e l'artista congolese Mermans Mosengo Kenkosenki, "A Legend Of Reggae”, anche membro dei Playing for Change. . Il secondo brano del progetto è stato "Because You are There" (Schiavolini-Turner), ed è stato eseguito da solisti africani insieme al celebre gruppo Soweto Gospel Choir. Questa canzone è un inno di speranza dedicato ai giovani. Anche i Soweto Gospel Choir hanno realizzato la propria versione di "Where Will it End", con la partecipazione della grande cantante soul newyorkese Clayton Bryant. La versione di Soweto è accompagnata da un video realizzato a New York: si parte da Ground Zero per sottolineare la rinascita e la speranza per il futuro. "Where Will it End" è un inno alla pace tra i popoli, all'uguaglianza e al rispetto delle religioni.

Clayton Bryant ha anche cantato nel brano di Aria "Till the End of Time", registrato presso i celebri studi Downtown di Johannesburg e con la partecipazione dei musicisti della band di Miriam Makeba. Le voci sono state registrate a New York presso lo studio Engine Room Audio di Broadway.

Il 22 aprile 2022, esce un doppio singolo sul mercato internazionale a sostegno della Giornata della Terra (“The Next Life” / “Lady in White”). "The Next Life" è una canzone dedicata all'ambiente e agli animali in via di estinzione, il cui testo è stato scritto dalla talentuosa cantautrice di Los Angeles Britt Warner. Nel brano è presente anche il giovane rapper e ambientalista americano Ray Reed, di Houston.  Nel dicembre 2022, esce un singolo natalizio sempre per il mercato internazionale, intitolato "A Christmas Letter", una canzone classica in stile Motown/gospel che è stata registrata insieme al video in Sudafrica presso gli storici studi di registrazione Downtown di Johannesburg. È stata mixata da Jack Rouben di Los Angeles e vede la partecipazione della cantante afroamericana Sherita-O e dell'Orchestra Filarmonica della Città di Praga, con un assolo di violino della celebre Lucie Svehlova. Aria è anche un ambientalista attivo e sostenitore degli animali per diverse associazioni, tra cui Animals Asia Foundation, impegnata a porre fine all'allevamento di orsi nelle fattorie della bile e a migliorare le condizioni di vita degli animali in Asia. È anche membro dell'organizzazione americana per i diritti degli animali PETA, sostenuta da molti artisti di rilievo, come Paul McCartney.  Nasce infatti nel 2013 il sito web ilvolodellaquila.it / flightoftheeagle.com, dedicando molta della sua musica alla lotta contro il bracconaggio e l'estinzione degli animali.

Oggi è la volta del nuovo singolo “Smile”, il cui video è stato presentato in anteprima per Global Talent World, il canale inglese di X-Factor con oltre un milione di iscritti.

Contatti socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariathecomposer/ Sito: https://www.ariamusicworld.com

#Singolo #Aria #News #Youtube

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citylifeorg · 8 months

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Paul Lazar's Cage Shuffle - Choreographed by Annie-B Parsons - Opening John Cage's Japan: A Japan Society Performance Series

Paul Lazar – Photo © Martin Rottenkolber Cage Shuffle; Created and Performed by Paul Lazar; Choreographed by Annie-B Parson “Cage Shuffle is beautiful, profound and hilarious—as all things should be.” – David Byrne Opening John Cage’s Japan at Japan Society; An Original Performance Series Celebrating the Composer’s Relationship with Japanese Culture Two Nights Only: Thursday, September 28 at…

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artbookdap · 1 year

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Tomorrow, Thursday, January 19 at 6:30 PM, @mcnallyjackson⁠ Seaport & @primaryinfo present a reading and discussion with Constance DeJong, Mirene Arsanios, and Annie-B Parson at McNally Jackson (4 Fulton Street, NYC). ⁠ ⁠ Drawing from their interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to performance, choreography, language, translation, and fiction, Arsanios, DeJong, and Parson will read from selected work, opening onto a discussion moderated by Rachel Valinsky.⁠ ⁠ Doors will open at 6:30 PM and attendance is on a first-come basis. The conversation will begin promptly at 7 PM and is free. McNally Jackson Books Seaport is located at 4 Fulton Street. Books will be on hand for purchase. ⁠ ⁠ In July 2022, Primary Information released Constance DeJong’s "Reader," the first anthology to gather the artist's diverse body of writing. Spanning from the 1980s to the present, "Reader" features eighteen works by DeJong, including out-of-print and previously unpublished fiction, as well as texts emanating from her new media sculptures, sound works, video works, and public art commissions. ⁠ ⁠ @dejong.constance182 @anniebparson @mirenearsanios @langue_pendue ⁠ ⁠ #PrimaryInformation #McNallyJackson #ConstanceDeJong #AnnieBParson #MireneArsanios https://www.instagram.com/p/CnkSTbLJX5b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#primaryinformation #mcnallyjackson #constancedejong #anniebparson #mirenearsanios

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yesthatssadirichardslove · 1 year

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David Byrne's next Broadway show will be 'Here Lies Love'

NEW YORK

David Byrne's “American Utopia” may have left Broadway but the Talking Heads leader is plotting a return — with disco.

Byrne and Fatboy Slim plan to put their musical “Here Lies Love,” a show that charts the rise and fall of Philippine ex-first lady Imelda Marcos, on a Broadway stage this summer.

It turned out the former beauty queen-turned-dictator's wife apparently loved to dance, converted the roof of one of her Manila palaces into a nightclub and hit discos regularly in the 1970s.

“I thought, ‘There’s the soundtrack,’” Byrne told The Associated Press in 2014.

Byrne’s 90-minute show about Marcos’ rags-to-riches-to-exile journey played off-Broadway in 2013 and in a clutch of cities, including London in 2014 and Seattle Repertory Theatre in 2017.

The project began as a concept album, performed in a handful of live concerts including a 2007 engagement at Carnegie Hall, before it was developed into a full-blown theater piece directed by Alex Timbers with 360-degree staging.

Timbers this time will be charged with turning the 1,763-seat Broadway Theatre into an immersive experience. According to a press release, he and choreographer Annie-B Parson “will transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors.”

The energetic, catchy musical begins with Imelda as a poor girl who gains fame as a beauty pageant winner. Following a whirlwind courtship, she marries up-and-coming politician and soon-to-be president, Ferdinand Marcos.

The lyrics are mostly taken from speeches or interviews from all sides during Marcos’ era and the standing-only audience moves around the space with the 15 actors.

The Marcoses ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 — the last 14 years of that under martial law — before being driven into exile in Hawaii during a 1986 popular revolt, leaving the country’s economy faltering under huge debts. Ferdinand Marcos died in 1989 and Imelda, now 93, has returned to her homeland and entered politics. Their son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is now president of the Philippines.

“I wanted you to understand a little bit what’s motivating Imelda, what’s driving her, what her delusions are, but also what her pain is, what she loves, so you understand what makes her do the things that she does,” Byrne said in 2014.

Byrne — an art-rock progressive who famously sang “This ain’t no party/This ain’t no disco” — said he’d never had anything against club music. In fact, his record collection includes Donna Summer, The O’Jays and The Spinners.

Using disco in “Here Lies Love,” he said, allowed him to pay his respects to that sound but also freed him to write songs for other people that he wouldn’t write for himself.

#yesthatssadirichardslove

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nonesuchrecords · 21 hours

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Congratulations to Days of Wine and Roses and Here Lies Love on their multiple Tony Awards nominations. Days of Wine and Roses is up for Best Original Score for Adam Guettel, Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Kelli O'Hara, and Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Brian d'Arcy James, as well as Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and a Drama League awards. Here Lies Love is up for Tonys for Best Original Score for David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, Best Sound Design of a Musical for M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, Best Scenic Design of a Musical for David Korins, and Best Choreography for Annie-B Parson, as well as Outer Critics Circle and Drama League awards. And Kudos to Timo Andres, who is up for both Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Orchestrations for Illinoise.

#days of wine and roses #here lies love #tony awards #adam guettel #kelli o'hara #brian d'arcy james #david byrne #fatboy slim #timo andres #broadway #nonesuch #nonesuch records

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deadlinecom · 1 year

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insideusnet · 1 year

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A 'Downtown' Choreographer Brings Her Craft to the Opera : Inside US

A ‘Downtown’ Choreographer Brings Her Craft to the Opera : Inside US

NEW YORK (AP) — It was a delicious challenge that came as a total surprise. As choreographer Annie-B Parson tells it, she was walking down a Brooklyn street when her phone rang. It was the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, Peter Gelb, wondering if she’d be interested in choreographing for the Met. Parson, based in Brooklyn, founder of the Big Dance Theater and also known for…

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thewidowstanton · 2 years

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The Widow's best of 2021

Compiled by Liz Arratoon

2021 was the year Blackpool Pleasure Beach celebrated its 125th anniversary, and the magic world marked 100 years of sawing a woman in two. Hmmm! For us, spending more time at home meant we watched more films and read more books so both will feature more heavily in our list than usual, along with other stuff we’ve seen and enjoyed this year.

But before we get to any of that let’s start with the most beautiful thing we saw in 2021. It was right at the start of year – and nothing since has come close to it – when the London International Mime Festival directors Joseph Seelig and Helen Lannaghan managed to put on a brilliant event against the odds by going online.

MOST CREATIVE: Vertigo, a short film by mixed-reality artists Kristin and Davy McGuire of Studio McGuire commissioned by the London International Mime Festival. Four minutes of heaven as Kristin performs on a shiny pole, enveloped in a gossamer haze of digital images that are protected on to gauze. Stunning! Watch it here. Pic: Studio McGuire

BEST SHOW: David Byrne’s innovative concert/dance production American Utopia.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY: Annie-B Parson’s thrilling moves in American Utopia.

FAVOURITE ACT: The Shandong Acrobatic Troupe’s plate spinners from 2019’s Monte Carlo International Circus Festival. In a refreshing break from tradition, it used the main theme music from Wong Kar-wai’s 2004 film 2046. Also watch out for Laura Borrelli's hula-hoop cameo in the film The Hand of God.

BEST TWITTER CIRCUS PIC: La Charmeuse de Serpents at the Folies-Bergère, posted by @PablosCircus.

BEST PROMO: Hula-hoop star Marawa the Amazing's delightful 'calling card', produced by her husband. Watch it here.

BEST SHOWBIZ STORY: Christine Walevska's stolen cello in The Tale of the Little Countess’ Little Cello on BBC Radio 4’s Outlook.

BEST SHOWBIZ TV SERIES: Hacks, with the incredible Jean Smart as a 'senior' Vegas stand-up comic.

BEST TV CHARACTER: Nunzia Schiano as Donna Nunzia in Gomorrah, the Naples-set Mafia saga, which also gets MOST STYLISH TV SERIES for its breathtaking lighting and locations. BEST DOCUMENTARY SERIES: Fran Lebowitz’s Pretend It’s a City, directed by Martin Scorsese on Netflix. BEST INTERVIEW: Sylvie Guillem by dancer Daniil Simkin. Watch it here.

BEST EXHIBITION: Noël Coward Art and Style at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London.

BEST SERIES: Spending the War Without You: Virtual Backgrounds. Laurie Anderson’s stunningly intelligent Norton ‘lectures’ – in reality, shows – from the Mahindra Humanities Center, six of them given to the world for free!

BEST MUSIC: The score for the TV series ZeroZeroZero by Mogwai.

BEST WEEKLY MAILOUT: David Mills’ Quality Time – “a five-point bulletin of curated curious content” – in which he scours the world for things to interest, surprise and delight us. Above is the original rhinestone cowboy Loy Bowlin, who covered his life and house, the Beautiful Holy Jewel Home, in glitter, tin foil, tinsel and so forth. What could be more showbiz? Subscribe for free here.

BEST DANCE: The Ballets de Monte-Carlo White Darkness by Nacho Duato and The Lavender Follies by Joseph Hernandez.

BEST COSTUMES: Russian synchronised swimmers Svetlana Kolesnichenko and Svetlana Romashina’s spider-themed outfits at the Olympic Games. BEST FILM: Apples, a Greek Weird Wave first feature film from director Christos Nikou concerning… um… a different sort of pandemic.

BEST ANIMATION: Hungarian 1976 short Scenes with Beans, directed by Ottó Foky, about a cosmic metallic hen that lands on a planet of beans and observes their daily lives.

BEST DESERT ISLAND DISCS CASTAWAY: Sophia Loren, by a mile.

MOST FUN: Stump the Guesser, a short film by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson.

BEST SHOWBIZ BOOK: My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend by Tracey Thorn, and To the End of the World, Travels with Oscar Wilde by Rupert Everett.

BEST BOOK: Two more memoirs share this spot… Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes by Rodrigo García, and Linn Ullman’s Unquiet. Both concern ageing and death, which leads us on to…

GONE TOO SOON: Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Mike Nesmith of the Monkees and actors Michael K Williams (above) and Helen McCrory. And those we knew personally: our friend circus impresario Gerry Cottle, Spymonkey’s marvellous and unforgettable loon Stephan Kreiss (below), and lastly Lord Christopher Laverty of the magnificent @clothesonfilm, who was one of the most knowledgeable, and certainly the best, speakers we’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to, who died desperately young in a canoeing accident.

But so as not to end on too sad a note SPECIAL MENTIONS go to the Lucille Ball film Being the Ricardos, the kick-ass women in the TV series The Nevers, and the simply spectacular documentary House of Cardin, about genius fashion designer – among many, many other things – Pierre Cardin.